MTSU student died in Stone Creek shooting yesterday

Feb. 11, 2014

Murfreesboro Police are still investigating this case. / Photo by E.R. West.

Written by

E.R. West

Editor-in-chief

The victim of a fatal shooting at Stones Creek Apartments yesterday has been identified by friends and others on social media as Mikal Shakir, an MTSU business student. He was 20 years old.

Murfreesboro Police released the name this afternoon.

Brian Didlake, an MTSU electronic media journalism student, said he was friends with Shakir, and that he was upset about the incident. After speaking with Shakir's family early this morning, Didlake said Shakir's sister confirmed that it was Shakir who died. He did not give the sister's name.

"He and I met about a year ago," Didlake said. "He was always the life of the party, and he had just started back school this semester. He was really excited about it."

His girlfriend, Saroyalty Nathan, 18, had also known Shakir for a year. The couple had been dating three months.

"He was caring, outgoing and he was never judgmental," Nathan said.

Through social media – Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – they all continue to express their grief about the incident. To them, he was "Coogi," not Mikal.

"It just seems like he was at the wrong place, at the wrong time," said Ryan Shelley, a friend and business administration student. "I have never seen that guy have a bad day, and if he did have one, you wouldn't know it."

The nickname came from his love of the Coogi clothing line. According to his friend Tony Bowen, 24, he wore it head to toe. He met Shakir while working for Certified Royalty Entertainment group, which was an organization during Bowen's time on campus.

"He claimed that all the colors in the prism were Coogi," he said. "He also wanted to be DJ, but he could never catch the beat."

Didlake and Bowen both said they are trying to form a "Stop the Violence" campaign on Saturday afternoon at Patterson Park in his memory.

Murfreesboro Police are still investigating this crime. If anyone knows anything that could help this investigation, please contact Crime Stoppers at (615)-893-7867.